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The Iranian Opposition Coalition Council* (IOCC) is composed of a large number of groups opposing the Islamic Republic in Iran (IRI.) The IOCC is demanding that the membership of Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) in the United Nations be terminated.

Over the last 26 years, the people of Iran and the world have been suffering from the ever increasing activities of IRI in support of terrorism and human rights violations.
IRI has been the cradle of support, sponsorship and the expansion of the religious terrorism that has been threatening world security. IRI is thriving on international terrorist activities and has been blackmailing the world by developing nuclear weapons.

Some of the European countries which have been assisting IRI to expand its nuclear power capabilities for the purpose of the power generation are slowly realizing that the final objective of IRI is nothing but to obtain nuclear weapons. The international community will have to face this eminent danger and take steps to alleviate this worldwide threat.

The United Nations is an organization which defends and protects the rights of the nations using the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a metric by which it evaluates human rights in the world. We find it surprising that the United Nations allows the membership and participation of IRI, which violates the most basic rights of Iranian citizens and justifies their criminal actions in its constitution.

The purpose for submission of this petition is to reveal the contradictions of IRI’s constitution and civil laws with those of United Nations Universal Declarations of Human Rights. IRI’s enormous crimes against humanity are repulsive reflection on humanity that must be erased.

The Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

Whereas, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world;

Whereas, disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people;

Whereas, it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law;

Whereas, it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations;

Whereas, the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom;

Whereas, Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Whereas, a common understanding of these rights and freedoms, is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge.

In reality the following are practiced in the Islamic Republic of Iran:

In the 2nd article of IRI constitution it is stated that the foundation of governing, and legislation only comes from God. Devine revelations are through the Supreme Leader, the “Imam” or (Velayate Faghih).

Article 207 of IRI’s penal code states that if a non-Muslim kills a Muslim then the killer is liable to legal retribution, qisas, and subject to the death penalty. In contrast, a Muslim can kill a non-Muslim and only pay blood money (Diyeh).

Article 209 states that if a man deliberately murders a Muslim woman, then before he is to receive Gesas (death penalty), the family of the woman have to pay the murderer’s family half of his blood money. The succeeding article extends the same double standard to a non-Muslim man murdering non-Muslim women, whether or not they share the same religion. Thus a woman’s life is valued as half that of a man and the punishment of a man murdering a woman is not the same as a woman’s unless the family of the murdered woman pays the murderer half his blood-money.

According to IRI law if a person changes religion from Islam to any other religion, he/she will be labelled an “apostate” (Mortad) and therefore it is merited to be killed.
The above mentioned Islamic Republic laws are in conflict with the Article 18 of Universal declaration of human rights that states everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Another example is the article of 26 of UDHR that states everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. However in the Islamic Republic of Iran, these opportunities are only available to the Shiite Muslims who can prove their loyalty to the supreme leader.

The article 4 of UDHR states that no one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms, however in the Islamic Republic of Iran the father or the grandfather of a female can force her to marry anyone who he deems fit and collect her dowry at any age. He can even deny her permission to travel and even prevent her from leaving the house. One can only conclude the lawfulness of slavery in the IRI regime.

The respect for the inherent right to life of a person under 18 is not guaranteed under the IRI law, particularly in light of article 220 of IRI’s Penal Code, which provides that a man who kills his own child or his son's child is not subject to discretionary punishment (qesas).

The Islamic Republic article 222 states that anyone who kills an insane individual is not subject to prosecutions.

The fifth article of UDHR states that no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Whereas, Article 201 of IRI criminal law states that a thief shall be subject to amputation of four fingers of right hand for first offence, the left foot for the second offence, prison for third and execution for the fourth.

Chapter 6 of the IRI criminal code states that everyone drinking a glass of alcoholic beverage shall receive 74 lashes.

The penalty for adultery under Article 83 of the penal code, called the Law of Hodoud is flogging (100 lashes of the whip) for unmarried male and female offenders. Married offenders may be punished by stoning regardless of their gender, but the method laid down for a man involves his burial up to his waist, and for a woman up to her chest (Article 102).

The women without the proper Islamic republic dress code will be punished by 74 lashes.

Article 186 of IRI penal code states that any person who is involved with or supports an armed opposition against the Islamic government and the divine rule is subject to capital punishment even though the culprit may not be a direct participant in the armed insurgency.

Article 111 of IRI penal code states that act of homosexuality is punishable by death.
Article 237 of IRI’s penal code states that a first degree murder can only be proved based on the testimony of two male witnesses.

Article 11 of the IRI constitution states that the Iranian armed forces’ duties are to engage in Jihad (holy war) for god and to promote the divine rule throughout the world. Based on this article of the IRI constitution, support of terrorist groups by the Islamic Republic is legal. It is in this framework that IRI sponsors organizations such as Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Queda. It is perfectly legal to wage war and defeat the infidel America in Afghanistan and Iraq. This law permits support of terror groups to force out Israel from Palestine.

In conclusion, based on IRI laws, the arguments presented here and many more that can be presented upon request, the IOCC hereby urges that the United Nations expel IRI from the U.N. and all its affiliate organizations.

This statement was presented in and approved by the International Conference of the Iranian Opposition Coalition Council on March 13, 2005 in Los Angeles, California.

Reporters Without Borders said today it was "essential" that sanctions against Iran are adopted without delay by the UN Commission on Human Rights, which began its annual session yesterday in Geneva.

"After 19 years of successive condemnations, Iran has slipped through the commission's net since 2001 on the grounds that the European Union is engaged in a dialogue with Tehran, but violations of free expression and the physical integrity of journalists have been continuing," the press freedom organization said.

"The human rights commission must defend journalists who are censored, threatened, arbitrarily detained, mistreated and sometimes tortured in Iran for doing their job," Reporters Without Borders added.

Relatives of Iranian journalists who have been the victim of repression will demonstrate today into Geneva to demand the justice they have so far failed to obtain, although they complained to international judicial bodies three years ago.

The relatives of journalists Darioush and Paravaneh Forouhar, Mohammad Mokhtari, Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh and Pirouz Davani, as well as relatives of human rights lawyer Nasser Zarafshan, will be among those participating in the protest, which is supported by Reporters Without Borders.

More than 10 newspapers have been temporarily suspended or closed down altogether and at least 60 journalists have been summoned for questioning since the human rights commission's last session in March 2004.

Many of these journalist have been the victim of "white torture" in prison, in which they are put in solitary confinement for several months and subjected to interrogation sessions in which the soles of their feet are sometimes beaten with wire. With 13 journalists and bloggers currently detained, Iran is the Middle East's biggest prison for the press.

Iran agreed in 2002 to accept visits from UN working groups but so far only two have been able to go. A working group on arbitrary detention visited Iran from 15 to 27 February 2003, while one on free expression visited from 4 to 10 November 2004.

The rapporteurs of the two groups reported : "a deterioration in the situation of freedom of expression in Iran, with a growing number of newspapers closed and journalists imprisoned, often beyond the legal limit for provisional detention. The systematic repression of all critical opinion as regards the regime's political or religious institutions has installed a climate of fear leading to self-censorship and, in particular, the rapporteurs have observed the use of arbitrary procedures by the judicial institutions violating the most basic rights of defendants, who are tried in secret hearings without a lawyer being present."

The rapporteurs also noted "very harsh prison conditions, including long periods in solitary confinement, that are equivalent to torture."

No measures have been adopted two years after the reports of these working groups were published.

Reporters Without Borders defends imprisoned journalists and press freedom throughout the world, as well as the right to inform the public and to be informed, in accordance with Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Reporters Without borders has nine national sections (in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom), representatives in Abidjan, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Tokyo and Washington and more than a hundred correspondents worldwide.

The U.S. State Department has published its latest report on human rights. Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, spoke of the seriousness of this issue for the United States:

"Promoting human rights is not just an element of our foreign policy; it is the bedrock of our policy and our foremost concern. These reports put dictators and corrupt officials on notice that they are being watched by the civilized world and that there are consequences for their actions."

Ms. Dobriansky said in the Middle East, "people are increasingly conscious of the freedom deficit in the region and eager to taste the freedom and liberties that are being enjoyed elsewhere":

"If freedom and democracy work in Muslim nations like Indonesia, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Iraq, why should they not be the norm in Iran, Libya, Syria and Saudi Arabia?"

The State Department's report on Iran says that over the past year, the Iranian government's "poor human rights record worsened, and it continued to commit numerous serious abuses." Those abuses include summary executions, disappearances, torture, and severe punishments such as flogging and amputations. Iranian citizens are denied due process of law and fair trials; they are not permitted to change their government; and the clerical regime restricts their freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion.

Michael Kozak is U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. He said that the government in Iran is "out of phase" with the changes occurring elsewhere, particularly in the Middle East:

"When you look at what's happening in Iraq, where you've just had elections there, when you look at the Palestinian territories where you've just had free elections there, where you have [Egyptian] President [Hosni] Mubarak at least talking about having free elections, and what's gone on in Iran is very much the opposite, where the space for people that didn't agree with the ruling clique has been reduced, and I think that's covered in the report that people weren't able to run for election and so on."

"Iran has a real problem if it wants to become a respected member of the family of nations," said Mr. Kozak. "It's not been doing the things that get you there."

The preceding was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States government.

Diplomats and human rights organizations say the U.N. Human Rights Commission will come under close scrutiny during its six-week annual session, which opens Monday in Geneva. Human rights groups say the credibility of the U.N. body is on the line.

The United Nations is undergoing a process of reform. And, the U.N. Human Rights Commission is not exempt from this.

Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth says governments and rights groups will be looking to see whether the Commission, in its current form, is able to promote human rights, or whether radical reforms are needed. He says the membership of the body needs to be reviewed.

"Roughly half of the membership of the Commission is present, not to promote human rights, but to undermine the Commission," he said. "That is a travesty. It is a travesty that there is a duty for the United Nations to address, if it is to redeem its credibility as a meaningful promoter of human rights."

Among the Commission's 53 members are Cuba, Sudan and Zimbabwe, all countries, which have been cited for gross violations of human rights.

Kenneth Roth
About 5,000 representatives of governments, international and non-governmental organizations will attend the conference. To set the tone, foreign ministers and other senior government officials, as well as heads of U.N. agencies and intergovernmental organizations will present their views on human rights issues this week.

The rest of the session will examine human rights violations around the world and review reports on topics such as torture, arbitrary detention and summary executions.

Mr. Roth says the commission should examine the question of human rights abuses in the war on terrorism.

"In the name of fighting the plague of terrorism, we are all too aware of the many governments that are violating human rights through arbitrary detention, through the use of torture, or inhumane treatment," he said. "And, so, we urge the adoption of a full, three-year mandate of a special rapporteur assigned to address terrorism and counter-terrorism questions from a human rights perspective."

A representative of Amnesty International, Peter Splinter, says the commission must also come to grips with the terrible abuse and loss of life of tens of thousands of civilians in Sudan's conflict-ridden Darfur region.

"It is also important for what it will say about the commission," he said. "What will the Commission on Human Rights do on Sudan? Will we have another milk toast [weak] resolution under Item 19 or Item three like last year? Or will the commission take a firm stand, and say to the government of Sudan that measures must be taken to end the violations in Darfur, and improve the respect and impunity."

Amnesty International also is calling for condemnation of abuses in Nepal, Chechnya in the Russian Federation, the United States in Guantanamo and Zimbabwe.

As the UN Commission on Human Rights begins its annual session in Geneva this week, it faces growing criticism that its ability to take action against violating states is being weakened. Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) are among many non-governmental organisations that are calling for urgent reform.

Human Rights Watch says the Commission's 53 member countries include governments like Sudan that are responsible for crimes against humanity in Darfur. Sudan was re-elected to the Commission in 2004 despite being criticised by Human Rights Watch for gross abuses of human rights (See: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/03/10/sudan10293.htm).

In recent years, the membership of the Commission has changed significantly, says Human Rights Watch. A growing number of countries with poor human rights records have gained seats on the body and used their votes to thwart resolutions that condemn their records.

Human Rights Watch says the Commission must rid its membership of the worst human rights violators and insist that countries wishing to join must make commitments to improve human rights (Read its report here: http://www.hrw.org/un/chr61.htm).

Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) is calling attention to the fact that 70 of the 99 imprisoned journalists world-wide are located in countries that belong to the Commission. They include China, Cuba, Eritrea and Nepal. "The [Commission] continues to discredit itself. We do not understand how the UN's leaders, tolerate this," says RSF.

The IFEX member also singles out Iran for criticism, noting that for the past two years, government has ignored recommendations from two UN experts that it improve its record on freedom of expression and end arbitrary detention. The country is the leading jailer of journalists and cyber-dissidents in the Middle East, with 13 behind bars, says RSF (see: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12878).

Meanwhile, International PEN and the International Publishers Association (IPA) have expressed concerns about the state of free expression in Tunisia. They say Tunisia, which will host the World Summit on the Information Society in November 2005, is far from meeting its commitments to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Laws have been amended in the past two years to "drastically restrict freedom of expression," say IPA and International PEN. Other causes of concern include the blocking of websites, harassment of critical media and the use of torture by security agents.

The IFEX members have urged the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Ambeyi Ligabo, to remind Tunisian authorities of their obligations under the ICCPR (Read their report here: http://tinyurl.com/4ev82).

Reporters Without Borders said today it was "essential" that sanctions against Iran are adopted without delay by the UN Commission on Human Rights, which began its annual session yesterday in Geneva.

"After 19 years of successive condemnations, Iran has slipped through the commission's net since 2001 on the grounds that the European Union is engaged in a dialogue with Tehran, but violations of free expression and the physical integrity of journalists have been continuing," the press freedom organization said.

"The human rights commission must defend journalists who are censored, threatened, arbitrarily detained, mistreated and sometimes tortured in Iran for doing their job," Reporters Without Borders added.

Relatives of Iranian journalists who have been the victim of repression will demonstrate today into Geneva to demand the justice they have so far failed to obtain, although they complained to international judicial bodies three years ago.

The relatives of journalists Darioush and Paravaneh Forouhar, Mohammad Mokhtari, Mohammad Jafar Pouyandeh and Pirouz Davani, as well as relatives of human rights lawyer Nasser Zarafshan, will be among those participating in the protest, which is supported by Reporters Without Borders.

More than 10 newspapers have been temporarily suspended or closed down altogether and at least 60 journalists have been summoned for questioning since the human rights commission's last session in March 2004.

Many of these journalist have been the victim of "white torture" in prison, in which they are put in solitary confinement for several months and subjected to interrogation sessions in which the soles of their feet are sometimes beaten with wire. With 13 journalists and bloggers currently detained, Iran is the Middle East's biggest prison for the press.

Iran agreed in 2002 to accept visits from UN working groups but so far only two have been able to go. A working group on arbitrary detention visited Iran from 15 to 27 February 2003, while one on free expression visited from 4 to 10 November 2004.

The rapporteurs of the two groups reported : "a deterioration in the situation of freedom of expression in Iran, with a growing number of newspapers closed and journalists imprisoned, often beyond the legal limit for provisional detention. The systematic repression of all critical opinion as regards the regime's political or religious institutions has installed a climate of fear leading to self-censorship and, in particular, the rapporteurs have observed the use of arbitrary procedures by the judicial institutions violating the most basic rights of defendants, who are tried in secret hearings without a lawyer being present."

The rapporteurs also noted "very harsh prison conditions, including long periods in solitary confinement, that are equivalent to torture."

No measures have been adopted two years after the reports of these working groups were published.

Former Senator Rudy Boschwitz, head of the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), expressed the Bush administration’s concern with human rights abuse throughout the world in a March 24 statement to that body’s 61st session.

Boschwitz said that reinforcing positive developments in human rights is integral to the committee and added, “though some of you would prefer to dispense with Item 9, it is not sufficient for this body to condemn the abuses but shy away from naming the abusers.”

The commission consists of 53 member states and meets for six weeks in March and April each year in Geneva to review observance and violations of human rights worldwide, to consider new ways to promote and protect human rights, and to encourage countries to respect the basic rights and freedoms outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One of the commission's most noted achievements was the preparation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948.

The 61st session of the commission is meeting in Geneva from March 14 through April 22. Over 3,000 delegates representing observer nations and nongovernmental organization, in addition to the 53 members of the commission, are participating in the session.

Discussion of agenda Item 9, the question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world, began on March 23 and was scheduled to continue throughout March 24.

In his prepared statement, Boschwitz praised human rights and democracy progress in Afghanistan and the January 30 elections in Iraq, noting the courage demonstrated by voters in both those countries.

He also cited other examples of progress throughout the Middle East including: successful presidential elections for the Palestinian Authority, improved rights for women in Morocco, decentralization initiatives in Jordan, and introduction of penal codes for sexual harassment and the completion of a contested presidential election in Algeria.

But the senator said that many other parts of the world have taken “perceptible movements” away from freedom and democracy, while, in other portions of the globe, freedom remains elusive.

Regarding the former Soviet republics, Boschwitz praised recent democratic progress in Ukraine but expressed concerns about violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Chechnya and condemned the September 2004 terrorist assault on a school in Beslan. Additionally, he urged the commission to “send a powerful signal” to Belarus to “halt its assault on its own citizens’ rights and to take swift steps to uphold its international human rights commitments.”

In Asia, the United States remains “concerned about the Chinese government’s lack of commitment to improve its poor human rights record, despite the willingness of my and other countries to help,” Boschwitz said.

He also said that human rights will continue to be an integral part of the U.S. agenda with North Korea and noted that the United States will soon name a special envoy on human rights in North Korea, as mandated by the North Korea Human Rights Act (2004).

In addition, Boschwitz cited the poor human rights situation in Burma with the continued house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, detainment of political prisoners, and abuse of ethnic minorities.

The senator expressed U.S. concern with the continued violence by Jinjaweed militias in Sudan's Darfur region saying, “We have made it clear to Khartoum that we will not normalize relations or re-examine bilateral sanctions until the government keeps its promise in implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and until violence has ended in Darfur.”

In the Western Hemisphere, he noted the rejection of democratic processes and continued harassment and intimidation of pro-democracy activists in Cuba and the “steady deterioration of democracy” in Venezuela.

“Cuba has repeatedly been censured by this Commission, and has brazenly ignored [commission] resolutions requiring it to take action,” Boschwitz said.

Other countries whose human-rights records are of concern to the United States include Egypt, Iran, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Zimbabwe, according to Boschwitz’s statement.

“As the primary institution for the protection of human rights in the UN system, our message to these true patriots of their nations must be that you are not ignored and you are not forgotten, and we will not excuse those who are responsible for your oppression,” Senator Boschwitz said.

Following is the text of the senator’s statement as prepared for delivery:

(begin text)

March 24, 2005

Statement by the
Honorable Senator Rudy Boschwitz
Head of the U.S. Delegation

Item 9 - Violations of Human
Rights in any Part of the World

(As prepared for delivery)

Mr. Chairman,

As President Bush's representative to this 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, let me assure you that he views these proceedings as key to his Administration's efforts to promote human rights and democracy worldwide, part of what he calls his "forward strategy for freedom." The United States particularly values this segment of the Commission -- when we focus on the situation of human rights in specific countries around the world. We are convinced that reinforcing positive developments when they occur is an important part of the work of this body. And we are equally convinced that putting dictators and other human rights violators on notice that the international community is watching, and that there will be consequences for their misdeeds -- what some refer to as naming and shaming -- brings us closer to the day when all nations are part of the growing community of democracies, and tyranny and slavery exist only as sad chapters in human history.

My fellow delegates, though some of you would prefer to dispense with Item 9, it is not sufficient for this body to condemn the abuses but shy away from naming the abusers. Speaking clearly about all those regimes that commit such abuses is necessary if this Commission is to retain its credibility.

Distinguished Delegates,

We find ourselves in an extraordinary era of progress for human rights and democracy. Around the world -- mostly notably in the broader Middle East and Eurasia -- freedom is on the march.

In the three years since the fall of the Taliban regime, the people of Afghanistan have struggled against terrorism and traditional ethnic, religious and tribal cleavages, to extend fundamental rights to women and minorities, open their society to unprecedented political competition and freedom of expression, and to craft a new constitution faithful to their values and way of life. In last October's presidential elections, 18 presidential candidates contended for the votes of 10 million registered voters, more than 40 percent of whom were women. Despite terrorist threats and pre-election attacks, more than 8 million Afghans chose their own leader for the first time in their history. Meanwhile, conditions for Afghan women, barred by the Taliban from even attending school, continue to improve. Afghanistan's new constitution enshrines equal rights for women, President Karzai's new cabinet contains three women ministers, and the Government recently appointed the country's first female provincial governor.

On January 30, Iraqis took an important step toward democracy, when millions braved violence and threats to cast their votes in the most democratic and transparent election in their history. We commend the courage of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, the thousands of Iraqi election staff, the thousands of candidates who ran in the national and provincial elections, Iraqi security forces, and voters who turned out in larger numbers than expected. Thousands of domestic observers also showed up at polling places throughout the country, providing the transparency vital to democratic elections. Iraqis now face the tasks of drafting a constitution that will provide the foundation for democracy and rule of law, and electing a permanent government under that constitution later this year.

Though not yet a state, the Palestinian Authority held successful presidential elections, democratically replacing deceased President Arafat. In nearby Lebanon, the people - long intimidated and sidelined by an occupying power - have recently used their internationally recognized right to assembly to demand the right to determine their own future, including to choose their own parliament in free and fair elections this May. In Yemen, a female minister for human rights continued her struggle on behalf of women, including important efforts against trafficking in persons. Saudi Arabia held limited municipal elections earlier this year -- though we note that women were excluded from voting or running for office -- and the National Dialogue continued to raise public awareness on sensitive issues such as women's rights and religious tolerance. In Jordan, the reform effort continued, with the King's announcement of a decentralization initiative. Meanwhile, in North Africa, Egypt has announced it will amend its constitution to allow a contested multi-party presidential election for the first time, and released from jail a major opposition contender for that race. Morocco changed its Family Law to increase the rights of women, and initiated a nonjudicial Justice and Reconciliation Commission to address past abuses, and Algeria held its first contested presidential elections and passed penal code reform criminalizing torture and sexual harassment.

A thousand kilometers farther north, last December's peaceful, People-Power "Orange" Revolution in Ukraine, prevented a corrupt and semi-authoritarian regime from stealing an election, and like Georgia's 2003 "Rose" Revolution, inspired democratic and freedom-loving people everywhere. In true democratic fashion, both the legislative and judicial branches of government joined civil society and the press in contributing to the non-violent resolution of the electoral conflict. The United States shares with the European Union and others a dedication to helping Ukraine consolidate its recent democratic gains and improve general respect for human rights.

Sadly, as we look around the globe, some states with long, democratic traditions or more recent democratic transitions, have taken perceptible movements back toward patterns of political authoritarianism, constraints on freedom of the press, restrictions on political competition, and executive influence over their judiciaries.

My government shares others' concerns that Ukraine's recent progress stands in contrast to current trends in it's giant neighbor, Russia, where regression toward the concentration of power in the Kremlin poses questions for that country's democratic transition. We have been very clear with our Russian friends, that, while we are by no means trying to impose the American model on Russia - or on anyone else for that matter - we believe in general that institutional checks and balances, rule of law, elections that meet international democratic standards, and a vibrant civil society that respects religious and other freedoms, are vital to democratic development.

In the Western Hemisphere, we have seen a steady deterioration of democracy in Venezuela. The Government of Venezuela has increased its control over the judicial system and its interference in the administration of justice, packing the Supreme Court with loyalists and using the judiciary to harass political opponents. The press and NGOs were subjected to threats and intimidation by the government and its supporters. Under the guise of protecting "public order and national security," the legislature adopted a media law that seriously erodes freedom of the press, placing arbitrary restrictions on broadcast content. Human rights groups and international press organizations have widely criticized the law. The Venezuelan Government has brought criminal charges of "defamation" against individuals for making statements critical of government officials or the military.

Meanwhile, in Nepal, the King's recent dismissal of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, declaration of a state of emergency, and subsequent suspension of basic human rights, set back that country's already cautious movement toward parliamentary democracy. The U.S. joins much of the international community in calling on the King to restore and protect civil and human rights, promptly release those detained under the state of emergency and move quickly toward the restoration of civil liberties and multi-party democratic institutions under a constitutional monarchy.

Freedom and the ability to choose one's government still elude many people in many portions of the globe.

Cuba, the Western Hemisphere's only totalitarian regime, maintained its stance of rejection of all democratic processes and continued its harassment and intimidation of pro-democracy activists, dissidents, librarians and journalists. The majority of the 75 dissidents jailed in 2003 remain incarcerated. While 14 were released late last year, we note that these people were seriously ill and should never have been imprisoned in the first place. Moreover, the Cuban Government continues to hold at least 300 other political prisoners. Meanwhile, the government tightly controls the media, and forbids any open discussion of what a post-Castro government might entail. Cuba has repeatedly been censured by this Commission, and has brazenly ignored CHR resolutions requiring it to take action. It continues to refuse to allow the visit of the personal representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Commission should send a powerful signal to the Government of Belarus to halt its assault on it own citizens' rights, and to take swift steps to uphold its international human rights commitments. Not only has the Government of Belarus not taken any meaningful steps to implement the recommendations contained in last year's resolution; in fact, the situation in Belarus has deteriorated as the Government has intensified its assault on human rights NGOs, political parties, independent media, independent trade unions and civil society, including minority religious groups, while interfering in the legislative and judicial processes. Last October's parliamentary elections and referendum to lift term limits on the presidency and allow Lukashenko to run again, fell significantly short of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) standards. Moreover, the Government of Belarus continues to refuse to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur the Commission appointed last year to assess the country's human rights situation.

In Sudan, the United States is working directly with both the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement to facilitate the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. This agreement provides a sound basis for achieving stability and national unity throughout Sudan, including in Darfur. We urge all parties to implement the Agreement fully and rapidly. We are committed to working closely with the international community to implement the accord, and are urging rapid action by the Security Council to establish a peacekeeping mission. Our policy is to provide assistance and to promote peace, security, accountability and reconciliation throughout Sudan. In Darfur, despite the Government's repeated commitments to refrain from further violence and to restrain the Jinjaweed militias, the atrocities continue. We take this opportunity to underscore our grave concern. In our view, a Security Council sanctions resolution is necessary to pressure all the parties to end the violence in Darfur and to conclude a political settlement peacefully. We have made it clear to Khartoum that we will not normalize relations or re-examine bilateral sanctions until the government makes significant progress on implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and until the violence has ended in Darfur. The United States also believes that there must be an appropriate accountability mechanism to deter individuals from engaging in further abuses. The African Union is currently developing a proposal and we believe that this should receive serious consideration. In the meantime, we urge this Commission to make clear that all parties must respect the cease-fire and end the fighting. The Government must end its support for the Jinjaweed militia and put an end to the killing, displacement from homes, and atrocities in Darfur, which they have either sponsored or allowed to continue. At the same time, we condemn the violence committed by the Darfur rebels and demand that they cease. We also call upon the Commission to refrain from taking any actions that might conflict with or complicate Council deliberations.

We remain concerned about the Chinese Government's lack of commitment to improve its poor human rights record, despite the willingness of my and other countries to help. We have engaged with the Chinese in a broad discussion about political and religious freedoms, and our discussions on these issues will continue.

While they have recently taken a few steps in the right direction, the overall situation of human rights in China remains poor. The past year witnessed the Government launch a campaign against writers, religious activists, and dissidents, many of whom were harassed, detained, or imprisoned, including those who sought to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.

The Government continued and intensified efforts to control the press and to monitor the use of the Internet and wireless technology. Repression of Tibetan Buddhists, Muslim Uighurs, underground Protestants, Catholics loyal to the Vatican, and the Falun Gong, continues. Meanwhile, the Government denied the UN High Commission for Refugees permission to operate along its border with North Korea, and deported several thousand North Koreans, many of whom faced persecution and possible execution upon their return home. Women still suffer the ultimate limitation on reproductive choice in parts of China - coerced abortion and sterilization -- in the name of population policy. We must not forget that China is home to one-fifth of the world's population. The international community must continue to urge, as will we, that China address systemic shortcomings that give rise to the country's myriad human rights abuses.

In neighboring North Korea, we remain deeply concerned about continued reports of torture and execution for political and religious reasons, severe punishment of some repatriated citizens, and extensive state use of starvation, prison camps, forced labor, pervasive surveillance and extreme repression. While recent talks with North Korea have focused on convincing it to abandon its nuclear ambitions, be assured that human rights remain an integral part of our comprehensive agenda with that country. Indeed, we will soon name a special envoy on human rights in North Korea, as mandated by the North Korean Human Rights Act, signed by President Bush in October (2004).

Burma's already poor human rights situation has deteriorated in the past year. Not only does opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi remain under house arrest, but her detention was extended. Meanwhile, more than a thousand other political prisoners remain in jail. We continue to seek the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained unjustly for their political activities in Burma.

Furthermore, we remain deeply troubled by the Burmese military's abuse of ethnic minority civilians, including rape, torture, forced relocations, and confiscation of property. We will continue to support independent investigations of these gross human rights violations.

Moving to the Middle East, in Iran, the regime's poor human rights record worsened last year and a resolution on the disturbing human rights situation in Iran was successfully passed at the UN General Assembly. Authorities in Iran continued their crackdown on free speech, including closing independent domestic media outlets, and harassing journalists and web-log authors. The February 2004 parliamentary elections, when hundreds of reform candidates were not allowed to run, made blatantly clear that regime hardliners continue to exert undue influence on the electoral and legislative processes, hindering the Iranian people's ability to assert their democratic will. We urge the Iranian Government to enable all candidates, including reformers, to run and campaign freely in the Presidential elections scheduled for June (2005). Meanwhile, the Government continues to engage in particularly severe violations of religious freedom, and Baha'is in particular are subject to discrimination, harassment, and arrest.

In Syria, the Government continues to use its vast unchecked powers to prevent any organized political opposition, and severely limits civil society activities and anti-government manifestations, particularly by ethnic minorities, such as Kurds. Citizens do not have the right to change their government, and the Government prevented all organized political opposition. While some unlicensed civil society forums were permitted to take place, the Government significantly limits freedoms of speech, the press, association and assembly.

My Government has long recognized Egypt's potential for advancing political reform in the region. Pursuant to President Bush's State of the Union Address, we call on Egypt to demonstrate leadership toward greater freedom and democracy.

We are encouraged by President Mubarak's recent announcement that for the first time he will allow other candidates to compete against him in the next presidential elections, and we look forward to hearing more details. Meanwhile, we urge the government to lift the emergency law, promote pluralism and support the development of an active civil society, including an outspoken and independent press, as well as to ensure freedom from discrimination for Copts and other religious minorities.

In Russia, we remain deeply concerned about continuing violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Chechnya, and condemn all terrorist acts. Chechen terrorist attacks on civilians, such as last September's inhuman assault on a school in Beslan, the ongoing disappearances of civilians detained by government forces in Chechnya, and the taking of civilians as hostages for ransom by various groups, underscore the extent to which all parties to the conflict continue to demonstrate insufficient respect for basic human rights.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Robert Mugabe's political repression, media closures and harassment of both domestic and foreign reporters in Zimbabwe, continue to be an open invitation to international scrutiny, no matter how many times he tells the rest of the world to mind its own business. A key test is coming on March 31, when parliamentary elections are scheduled. Previous elections in 2000 and 2002 were tainted by fraud, intimidation and violence against the opposition. This campaign has been less violent than past elections, so far, but there remain serious problems with the election environment, which remains unfairly tilted in the ruling party's favor. We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to adhere to the spirit as well as the letter of the election guidelines unanimously adopted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which Zimbabwe’s a member, by allowing independent organizations and media to freely operate, by giving all parties equal access to official media, by inviting credible international and regional monitors to observe the election, and by ensuring that all voters have equal access to polling places.

Mr. Chairman,

The U.S fully supports efforts by the Commission and others to help governments seeking to transition to greater freedom. We enthusiastically support the High Level Panel's recommendation to beef up the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner to give advisory services and offer that help. We co-tabled a resolution at the Commission's last session to make the High Commissioner's office a focal point in the UN for promoting democracy and rule of law, and made a voluntary contribution to fund that function. Yet this Commission must speak up on behalf of the international community to identify those regimes unwilling to seek help and deserving moral opprobrium.

As I have just highlighted, freedom and the ability to choose one's government still elude many people in many portions of our globe. But let the message of these deliberations be one of hope and promise to the oppressed. As is the mandate of this Commission, let our work on Item 9 of the Commission's agenda be the embodiment of the United Nations' commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who live in tyranny and hopelessness. As the primary institution for the protection of human rights in the UN system, our message to these true patriots of their nations must be that you are not ignored and you are not forgotten, and we will not excuse those who are responsible for your oppression.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Reporters Without Borders expressed its concern to Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham and his 15 EU counterparts on 20 January over the stalled Zahra Kazemi case in which, it said, Iranian authorities appeared to be in no hurry to see justice done.

"Since the trial of the alleged killer was adjourned, there do not appear to have been any further developments in the case. The lawyers for the victim's family have not been allowed to look at the legal file so that they can properly prepare their case," said Robert Ménard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders. "The authorities have not fixed any date for the adjourned hearing and we do not even know if the lawyers will have an opportunity to examine the complete file," he added.

The international press freedom organisation called on the foreign ministers to do all within their power to see that this case was thoroughly investigated and justice was done and to obtain the repatriation of Kazemi's body to Canada.

The journalist's body was buried in Shiraz in the south of the country on 22 July 2003, contrary to the wishes of her son, Stéphan Hashemi, a French-Canadian living permanently in Canada. As you know Zahra Kazemi's mother who lives in Iran, had asked for the body to be repatriated to Canada and had signed a request to that effect at the Canadian embassy in Teheran. The Canadian authorities moreover supported the request.

Despite this there was a hurried burial in Iran and since then, calls for the body to be exhumed and repatriated to Canada have fallen on deaf ears. The journalist's mother has said publicly that she had been put under pressure to allow the burial in Iran.

Reporters Without Borders appreciates Canada's initiative that led to a resolution in the UN General Assembly on 12 December 2003 condemning human rights violations that continue in Iran. In accordance with the European Parliament's invitation to the Council on 15 January 2004, our organisation strongly supports and encourages the European Union to present a similar draft resolution at the next session of the Human Rights Commission in particular to vigorously condemn unfair detention, which is still current practice in this country

The Iranian-Canadian journalist, who was living in Canada, was arrested on 23 June 2003 while photographing families of prisoners in front of Evin jail in the north of Teheran. She was beaten during her detention and died of her injuries on 10 July. After first trying to hide the cause of the journalist's death, the Iranian authorities recognised on 16 July 2003 that she had been "beaten".

Following a struggle between reformists and conservatives who mutually accused each other over the death of the journalist, an Iranian intelligence services agent, Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, was named as the suspected killer and arrested. His trial was adjourned on 4 November 2003. Lawyer Shirin Ebadi, who won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize has said that she will defend the interests of Kazemi's family.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations Office at Geneva, Human Rights Watch Geneva, Reporters Without Borders, U.S. President, heads of the world’s democratic states, General Secretary of the United Nations, U.S. Congress, and the European Parliament.

A Plea for Justice – Bam Earthquake Genocide:

Ms. Adele Freedman, an American tourist who nearly perished on that fateful day as did tens of thousands of Iranians, said in her first NY hospital interview that "I'm only here because of the kindness of the Iranian people.." She was rescued by ordinary Iranians who had come to her aid, not by professional rescue teams or agents of the Islamic regime.

As it has been reported by many news agencies, the professionally trained rescue teams mobilized by the Unitred States and Israel were prevented to go to Bam by Islamic regime officials, while only small numbers of rescuers were allowed to enter the city only after the first 24 hours, which is the most critical time for saving people from Earthquake disasters. Rescuers, doctors, money, medicine, and food poured into Iran from over 70 countries, while the Mullahcracy prevented this aid from getting to Bam by creating many obstacles and delays. Much of the disaster aid has reportedly been stolen by the Clerics, their families and other regime officials. Why did the clerical regime wait several hours and in many cases days before allowing offerings of aid to reach the victims? Why do such "leaders" who profess to speak the word of God prevent highly trained Israeli and American search and rescue teams from saving the lives of suffering Iranians? Why did the regime order tens of thousands of Iranians from various cities who had gathered tents and other amenities for their compatriots in Bam to be turned away?

Over 20 years ago, the clerical regime supported a racketeering scheme that entailed seizing large chunks of land in Bam that would be used to build poorly designed and badly constructed houses and shops, subsequently issuing fatwas (religious opinions) that canceled previous orders of the Shah's government, which had banned such development in the earthquake-prone city.

Over the past 25 years the Islamic regime's agents, courts, judges and vigilantes have all committed acts of: murder, stoning, torture, assault, theft, destruction of property, arson, perjury, falsification of testimonials and material evidence, illegal surveillance, kidnapping, rape, blackmail, fraud, obstruction of justice, conspiracy to commit all of the above crimes, cover-ups and every other form of butchery and depredation.

WE, the undersigned, as members of the civilized world, call urgently on the UN and leaders of the free world to set up a committee to investigate the involvement of the clerical regime in crimes of Bam genocide, crimes of conspiracy to commit genocide and crimes against humanity according to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and established International Law.

We, the Undersigned, therefore demand:
- That world governments declare the Islamic Clerical Regime of Iran as illegitimate and unfit to govern and therefore call for a free referendum to be held in Iran now by well-respected international organizations.
- That all top level regime officials be investigated and prosecuted by respected International Courts for genocide and many other crimes against humanity.

In the name of all who have suffered, died and currently endure in the struggle for freedom, now is the time to rise and be most vigilant and make your voice be heard.

1024. Leona Forbes UCJ - should stop prosecuting humane countries like Israel and try the true barbaric criminals in the Middle East Toronto, Canada Teacher
1023. Ata D Yet another attrocity of Islamic Republic. For how long are we going to stand by and watch this to go on? Washington, DC
1022. cyrus asli please hurry to help fight against the unhuman vancouver,canada student
1021. debbie landers
1020. Neeyloofar The Mullahs' new game uses U.S. based lobbyist groups, Senator Kerry also dconsiders the regime to be a "democratic entity"- THIS IS ABHORRING- Iran is NOT a freaking democracy, please support freedom TODAY before its too late California computer programmer
1019. MULLAHS are SAVAGE and Cowardly --pathetic excuses for human beings FREEDOM or TYRANNY. LIFE or DEATH? THEOCRACY or DEMOCRACY? HUMAN RIGHTS or DEGRADATION? JUSTICE or BIGOTRY? Iran
1018. Sharon Iranians deserve freedom and HUMAN rights--please help to install a just government who actually cares about its people Illinois
1017. Abraham DOWN WITH TYRANNY, DOWN WITH THE FANATIC HYPOCRITES usa student in college
1016. Amanda END the Theocracy and Support FREEDOM ! American student
1015. Rose The mullahs justify their oppression and discrimination of women with unfair, untrue principles. These Islamic fundamentalists are merciless, cruel, inhumane people. For example, in the horrible time of the Bam earthquake in Iran, they kept money sent from international aid that was meant for the victims of the terrible tragedy. Stoning women for pre-marital sex, savagely gorging out the eyes of demonstrators protesting, hanging couples who hold hands in public (because according to mullahs, this is a "sin before marriage") The regime kills, tortures, and imprisons any one who even exposes the truth of the horrendous situation in Iran. Any defiance of authority is lethal. There is no such thing as freedom of speech in Iran. There is no such thing as human rights in Iran. There is no such thing as freedom of religion in Iran. Many people of the Ba’hai faith are brutally murdered in Iran just because of their faith. Please don’t recognize this hell-regime as any form of just government. Texas USA student
1014. Sarah D. BE MAN ENOUGH TO DO THE RIGHT THING.If you have any SENSE of what it means to be free, and principles, or COMPASSION or HUMANITY, you will realize that IRAN IS NOT A DEMOCRACY. Please open your eyes- to the women FORCED to COVER themselves up- to the victims of brainwashing and abuse of power- to the incarceration of intellectual university students who want true reform and NOT the “reform” that the backward-minded mullahs prefer, to the millions of families that have been torn apart....Please take a BOLD stand for secularism and the true essence of liberty. The fate of MANY lie in your hands- so please do not disregard this desperate message. FREE IRAN NOW-- Stop terrorists, stop misogyny, stop genocide, stop religious fanaticism, stop oppression, stop the obstruction of justice, SAVE LIVES and STAND UP for human rights, uphold peace, Please use your voice to stop the apocalypse. Thank You. In the name of equality, secularism, and justice..Bring the mullahs to justice NOW, Convict them of brutal crimes Dallas, Texas USA university student
1013. Aaron Arnwine None USA Government
1012. Pikan Azadsar Long live resistance against diktatorship of molla's
1011. A Student
1010. Russ Mitchell Free Iran! Irving, USA Archaeologist
1009. Max Jasper just do it Oxfordshire, UK Biomedical Engineer
1008. Kia IT
1007. shahin koduri chester,va
1006. naz hashemi the world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil,but because of the people who don't do anything about it. "Albert Einstien" Emrooz faghat Ethehad
1005. Setareh Azadi May god help us from the hands of these terrorist
1004. Leonard Jones Freedom, it's a beautiful thing. Get some soon! U.S.A. Mechanic
1003. Teena A. Free Iran from Mullahs!
1002. fat slag woo!
1001. Mantas Vilnius/Lithuania Journalist
1000. Garrett Seick USA IT
999. andrea i support the fight for a free iran italy
998. amit mark jerusalem
997. Sarah Pearson
996. Sarah Rosenman USA student
995. Timothy Charles Gobbel
994. Jason Forester
993. Ivan Lafollette Iran's people are on the verge of discovering their own freedoms and democratic aspirations. It is not Iraq that will spurn democracy in the region, but Iran! We must help Iranians in their efforts for self-determination! People used to say "Free South Africa" - now, the battlecry must be "Free Iran!" Maryland, USA IT/Engineer
992. Jacob Joseph Zeise Green Bay, WI/USA
991. shahbaz rigi rights means rights,,,,,,,,,,really?!?! zahedan,iran business
990. Narges Toronto, Canada Student
989. Ellen and Elliot Slater
988. Doug Floyd
987. Bahram Maskanian Criminal Mullahs Have To Go!!! New York, USA http://www.venusproject.com/ecs/
986. John C. Kluge
985. Saied Latifi
984. justin carll freedom and liberty for all iranians!! not just a few self-anoited mullahs canada
983. E.B. Poinsett Demorest, GA USA Retired
982. Miguel Alonso I agree completely Mexico Teacher
981. Christine Contardi Milwaukee,WI USA
980. Stephen Berlinsky
979. Sepehr Talebi
978. Tony
977. Paul McMIillan A discrace in the eyes of anybody's god England Safety Advisor
976. Dalia Salvador We Demand Justice!!!!! NYC Editor
975. Fred
974. Mehran Sharmini London, England
973. hamids sa tehran iran bisines
972. majid majidian mullahs must go, we need a democracy irvine ,,united states of america internet marketing
971. Christina McAnulty
970. Rahman Pooran Orange County/ USA
969. Paul McMillan It is time that Iran left the dark ages and allow political choice and government free from corruption. It is also important that openness and accountability are imposed. England Safety Advisor
968. Arian Soldier STOP THE BRITISH DICTATORSHIP OF IRAN NOW !!! Canada Political Activist
967. Arian Soldier STOP THE BRITISH DICTATORSHIP OF IRAN NOW !!! Canada Political Activist
966. Kate
965. Kayvon Daie Tempe, USA student
964. Amir Solaty Free IRAN from Stoneage tyrunts Bergen/Norway Medical doctor
963. Mohammad Taghi Moslehi The regime in Iran is highly barbaric, brutal, opressive, corrupt, wealth-plunderer, supporter of government sponsored terrorism, un-qualified to rule the noble people of Iran and must be overthrown immediately, and it is only then that the region will live in peace and tranquility and calm. The western nations, Europeans in particular must stop supporting this regime of mother of all time terrorism and support the people of Iran in our goal to achieve liberty, freedom of all kinds and diginity, prosperity and human and equal rights for all in Iran. United States Self- employed
962. Joseph Nevis USA
961. mark breslauer
960. Davood A. lathari One should not be offensive towards others' beliefs, but towards those who take advantage of these beliefs. Philadelphia, USA Finance
959. PHILLIP LUXNER DENVER, COLORADO, USA
958. lorena rutens united states student
957. venus iran Dentist
956. jinous Iran student
955. REZA SABA USA ENGINEER
954. Mike Bengtson USA
953. Marc Tretin Valley Attorney
952. Milan Tesic
951. Laleh Sotoodeh
950. Mohammad Hassibi
949. tony deakin toronto canada
948. john stimmel usa
947. HAMID RIAHI OTTAWA REAL ESTATE AGENT
946. David W Stop the Islamic tyranny!!
945. Ollivier
944. Bryan Watson Sunnyvale Info Security
943. tony Down With Vali Vaghih Canada Student
942. Sarah Rosenman USA student
941. Jenifer Poole It's time Islam finds the courage to question itself and allow for reinterpretation by the moderate populace.. USA Computer Programmer & Teacher
940. Homer down with islam and arabs us student
939. Cyrus A. Enough with injustice, lies, theft, and killings. We deserve better as a country with 7000 years of history and culture, than to have hostile clerics rule our country and feed the terrorist network to keep itself alive and thriving. THIS NEEDS TO STOP NOW! Miami, Florida real estate
938. ali
937. Parviz
936. mohammad student
935. Emily Harpenau USA student
934. Mohammad Zafarani Riverside, Ca College Student
933. candice driver student
932. s. zarei Washington, DC computer consultant
931. John Peck Houston, Tx
930. shadzi shabrokh san jose, usa graphic designer
929. Pari
928. Kris A. Samsel Time for Real Democracy Westborough, Massachusetts 01581 Machine Mechanic
927. Cyrus Beyzavi NY, USA CEO
926. M Porsh Iranian deserve better specialy people of bam I help as much as I could for the Bam earthquake. Do you think Iranian goverment are doing the same thing? I don't think so. St.Louis MO Bussinesman
925. jane alexander
924. Heather Blackburn Has anyone talked to Amnesty International? North Carolina (USA)
923. Ray Shook United States
922. Taylor Knock The Iranians deserve freedom from their oppresive leaders. United States Student
921. Narges The only solution is a refrandom under UN Canada radio journalist
920. Hossein H Ghoreishi houston/usa Systems Analyst
919. daniel italy
918. kevin whyte oxford, uk
917. Ryan Pourmanafzadeh The only way to start helping Iran is to start cleaning house from the top. Get rid of those twisted and evil clerics, who are hypocrites! I have family that have suffered at the hands of the regime, and I too now live in exile - and constant fear - of what could happen to me or my family within Iran. These devils need to go!
916. Martin H. Weiss If I could have altered the petition, I would have added stronger words condemning those who have provided aid and comfort to the regime of the Mullahs because in doing so, they have a share of the blame for the victim count. Washington, D.C. Govt
915. Minuvash www.FascinatingRise.com Holland Web Developer
914. Lily Ghafari Canada Designer
913. sherry lane
912. michael Binesh
911. Mehdi Hassan Ottawa, Canada Health care worker
910. Arash Free Iran...... Netherlands Student
909. Holly Bergeim (American) I sign this petition, knowing its requests are legitimate, and knowing that neither the U.N. nor any organization in the free world which is able to make any difference at all will take a stand on global despotism and human atrocities. They all have other agendas. Agendas of power and greed. I sign this, only because history should record the names of those who see through the greed and hippocrisy in today's world that feeds despotism and atrocity - and who despise it. History should record that, even in these terrible days, some compassionate people actually existed, who place real value on ALL human life. Mexico retired professional
908. bruno geschier france
907. Miguel Alonso Stop the terror in Iran now! México Teacher
906. Reza Baikogli
905. hamid layeghi
904. Dariush Elahi Boston, MA professor
903. Francis Aerts PLEASE DO SOMETHING BEFORE IT IS TO LATE Mechelen , Belgium Security officer
902. Roxanne Ganji Los Angeles, CA Iranian National Congress
901. maryam
900. Ayatollah6th Kill Mullas & Save Iran Hong Kong Dr.
899. nasser
898. Hossein H Ghoreishi Houston/Texas Computer Analyst
897. Tarren Sewell Pullman, Wa Student
896. Brendan Weitzman Bellevue, Washington State, USA College Student
895. Miranda Rumsey Pullman, WA. USA Student
894. Michelle Pullman, WA
893. Robert Schultz Pullman, Wa Student
892. Clark Johnston Buffam
891. John Warnas Netherlands
890. Leila Johnson
889. Ziba Shushtari
888. mina frouzan death to the shameless dirty mullahs new york
887. Arlene Petranovich Flagstaff, Arizona USA
886. nafiseh parsa protect the human rights.....stop the violent the Netherlands student
885. Oliver D CAmpbell Good Luck Brentford,London Studant
884. Kianoosh Bahmani California / USA
883. Joanne Rice Justice for Iran Seattle, USA photography
882. ali mohb free iran brussel
881. Nick Liparini
880. harmed pourzadeh england/ bristol student
879. Sarah Rosenman
878. john arnold USA
877. Steve Foote
876. Shy Halatzi I wish you success on bringing democracy to Iran. I would love to visit one day when there will be peace between our countries Kiryat Ono, Israel Highschool student.
875. Alexander Coffman Please do your part to give justice to the people of Iran. United States Student

The Commission on Human Rights should build upon the U.N. General Assembly resolution A/59/205 on the human rights situation in Iran by re-establishing a Special Procedure to monitor and report on Iran’s implementation of the resolution’s recommendations. The Commission should also urge the Iranian authorities to implement the recommendations made by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in its June 2003 report.

Background

Respect for basic human rights in Iran, especially freedom of expression and opinion, deteriorated in 2004. Torture and ill-treatment in detention, including indefinite solitary confinement, is used routinely to punish dissidents. The judiciary, which is accountable to Supreme Leader Ali Khamene’i rather than the elected president, Mohammad Khatami, has been at the center of many serious human rights violations. Abuses are carried out by what Iranians call “parallel institutions”: plainclothes intelligence agents, paramilitary groups that violently attack peaceful protests, as well as illegal and secret prisons and interrogation centers run by intelligence services.

Absence of Due Process. The Office of the Chief Prosecutor, led by Saeed Mortazavi, routinely ignored Iranian and international law by ordering the arrest of journalists, students, and writers who criticized government policies. Few of those formally charged or tried had access to an attorney. Human Rights Watch is especially alarmed by the routine use of prolonged solitary confinement in combination with forced confessions. Some political prisoners, including Taqi Rahmani, Hoda Saber and Reza Alijani, have been in detention without charge for at least eighteen months, much of it incommunicado.

Heshmatallah Tabarzadi, a student leader, was sentenced by Tehran’s revolutionary court on December 26 to sixteen years in prison for “propaganda against the regime” and acting against national security. His trial was held behind closed doors and in the absence of his lawyer. The judge’s final ruling cites “interviews with foreign radio,” “writing letters to the Leader,” and “disseminating statements against the regime” as the basis for the harsh sentence.

The murder of Canadian-Iranian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi while in custody in July 2003 remains unresolved. In October 2003, the Article 90 Commission of the Parliament presented a public report that placed responsibility for Kazemi’s death squarely on agents of the judiciary. The judiciary accused a low-ranking official of the Intelligence Ministry, Reza Ahmadi, of killing Kazemi and proceeded with a hastily organized trial held in May 2004 which cleared Ahmadi of the charges. The judiciary has taken no further steps to identify or prosecute those responsible for Kazemi’s death.

Freedom of Expression. Shirin Ebadi, winner of 2003 Noble Peace Prize, has been repeatedly harassed by security forces and has received death threats. The Judiciary has summoned her to court without specifying charges; the latest summons required her to appear in court on February 24, 2005. She refused to appear in person and sent her lawyers to file protests against the illegal manner in which these summons were issued. Ebadi is extremely concerned regarding the increasing number of threats against her.

In 2004, more than twenty webloggers and journalists were detained on the orders of Tehran’s Chief Prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi. The detainees were held in solitary confinement and were routinely tortured and forced to make false confessions. They have been released recently but continue to receive threats of re-arrest. On February 22, a well-known weblogger, Arash Cigarchi, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his writings. Charges brought against Cigarchi included “insulting the leader.” Another weblogger, Mojtaba Samii Nezhad, is currently in custody with no charges brought against him. Samii Nezhad has spent 88 days in solitary confinement.

Many journalists and writers remain behind bars solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression. These include Akbar Ganji, Abbas Abdi, Taqi Rahmani, Hoda Saber and Reza Alijani. Nasser Zarafshan, a lawyer who defends writers, journalists, and activists remains in prison, as well.

Torture and Ill-treatment in Detention. Routine lack of respect for basic due process rights and the frequent use of solitary confinement and prolonged interrogation heighten the risk of torture and ill-treatment in detention. Many former prisoners report regular beatings with cables on the back and on the soles of feet, assault with boots and fists on the head and torso, and forced immobilization in contorted positions. These methods are often used during and prior to interrogation and demands for videotaped or signed confessions.

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention expressed concern in its June 2003 report about lack of access to counsel, abuse of solitary confinement practices, and breaches of due process.

Discrimination Against Religious and Ethnic Minorities. The Baha’i community continues to be denied permission to worship or to engage in communal affairs in a public manner. Also, in a rare public protest, eighteen Sunni parliamentarians wrote to the authorities in July 2003 to criticize the treatment of the Sunni Muslim community and the refusal to allow construction of a mosque in Tehran that would serve that community.

Recommendations

The Commission on Human Rights should:
Re-establish a special mechanism to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Iran.

Call on the Iranian authorities to facilitate and expedite the requested visits by the U.N. Special Rapporteurs on torture, and freedom of religion, and to live up to their own commitment under the standing invitation for monitoring procedures with respect to all future requests by these procedures.

Make public and time-based commitments to the full implementation of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and other Special Rapporteurs’ recommendations.

Call on Iran to:

Ratify the CEDAW and CAT treaties, and announce an official review of reservations entered upon ratification of other major human rights instruments;

Release all political prisoners;

Authorize an independent and impartial investigation into judicial abuses by the Office of the Chief Prosecutor;

Abolish the death penalty for juvenile offenders (persons convicted for offenses committed under the age of 1 as a first step towards total abolition of the death penalty;

Amend the press law to safeguard freedom of the press and permit publications closed by unlawful judicial procedures to reopen;

Establish strict limits on the use of solitary confinement in prisons, as well as on the use of videotaped confessions;

Establish and enforce strict limits on incommunicado detention, and ensure prompt access to lawyers and family members for detainees. Courts should not admit as evidence incriminatory statements obtained through coercion; and

Initiate a program of action to identify and address discrimination against minority groups.

Iran's Sex Slaves Suffer Hideously Under Mullahs Posted June 8, 2004By Donna M. Hughes
A measure of Islamic fundamentalists' success in controlling society is the depth and totality with which they suppress the freedom and rights of women. In Iran for 25 years, the ruling mullahs have enforced humiliating and sadistic rules and punishments on women and girls, enslaving them in a gender apartheid system of segregation, forced veiling, second-class status, lashing and stoning to death.

Joining a global trend, the fundamentalists have added another way to dehumanize women and girls: buying and selling them for prostitution. Exact numbers of victims are impossible to obtain, but according to an official source in Tehran, there has been a 635 percent increase in the number of teen-age girls in prostitution. The magnitude of this statistic conveys how rapidly this form of abuse has grown. In Tehran, there are an estimated 84,000 women and girls in prostitution, many of them are on the streets, others are in the 250 brothels that reportedly operate in the city. The trade is also international: Thousands of Iranian women and girls have been sold into sexual slavery abroad.

The head of Iran's Interpol bureau believes that the sex-slave trade is one of the most profitable activities in Iran today. This criminal trade is not conducted outside the knowledge and participation of the ruling fundamentalists. Government officials themselves are involved in buying, selling and sexually abusing women and girls.

Many of the girls come from impoverished rural areas. Drug addiction is epidemic throughout Iran, and some addicted parents sell their children to support their habits. High unemployment -- 28 percent for youth 15 to 29 years of age, and 43 percent for women 15 to 20 years of age -- is a serious factor in driving restless youth to accept risky offers for work. Slave traders take advantage of any opportunity in which women and children are vulnerable. For example, following the recent earthquake in Bam, orphaned girls have been kidnapped and taken to a known slave market in Tehran where Iranian and foreign traders meet.

Popular destinations for victims of the slave trade are the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. According to the head of the Tehran province judiciary, traffickers target girls between 13 and 17, although there are reports of some girls as young as 8 and 10, to send to Arab countries. One ring was discovered after an 18-year-old girl escaped from a basement where a group of girls were held before being sent to Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The number of Iranian women and girls who are deported from Persian Gulf countries indicates the magnitude of the trade. Upon their return to Iran, the Islamic fundamentalists blame the victims, and often physically punish and imprison them. The women are examined to determine if they have engaged in "immoral activity." Based on the findings, officials can ban them from leaving the country again.

Police have uncovered a number of prostitution and slavery rings operating from Tehran that have sold girls to France, Britain and Turkey as well. One network based in Turkey bought smuggled Iranian women and girls, gave them fake passports, and transported them to European and Persian Gulf countries. In one case, a 16-year-old girl was smuggled to Turkey, and then sold to a 58-year-old European national for $20,000.

In the northeastern Iranian province of Khorasan, local police report that girls are being sold to Pakistani men as sex slaves. The Pakistani men marry the girls, ranging in age from 12 to 20, and then sell them to brothels called "Kharabat" in Pakistan. One network was caught contacting poor families around Mashad and offering to marry girls. The girls were then taken through Afghanistan to Pakistan where they were sold to brothels.

In the southeastern border province of Sistan Baluchestan, thousands of Iranian girls reportedly have been sold to Afghan men. Their final destinations are unknown.

One factor contributing to the increase in prostitution and the sex-slave trade is the number of teen girls who are running away from home. The girls are rebelling against fundamentalist-imposed restrictions on their freedom, domestic abuse and parental drug addictions. Unfortunately, in their flight to freedom, the girls find more abuse and exploitation. Ninety percent of girls who run away from home will end up in prostitution. As a result of runaways, in Tehran alone there are an estimated 25,000 street children, most of them girls. Pimps prey upon street children, runaways and vulnerable high-school girls in city parks. In one case, a woman was discovered selling Iranian girls to men in Persian Gulf countries; for four years, she had hunted down runaway girls and sold them. She even sold her own daughter for $11,000.

Given the totalitarian rule in Iran, most organized activities are known to the authorities. The exposure of sex-slave networks in Iran has shown that many mullahs and officials are involved in the sexual exploitation and trade of women and girls. Women report that in order to have a judge approve a divorce they have to have sex with him. Women who are arrested for prostitution say they must have sex with the arresting officer. There are reports of police locating young women for sex for the wealthy and powerful mullahs.

In cities, shelters have been set up to provide assistance for runaways. Officials who run these shelters are often corrupt; they run prostitution rings using the girls from the shelter. For example in Karaj, the former head of a Revolutionary Tribunal and seven other senior officials were arrested in connection with a prostitution ring that used 12- to 18-year-old girls from a shelter called the Center of Islamic Orientation.

Other instances of corruption abound. There was a judge in Karaj who was involved in a network that identified young girls to be sold abroad. And in Qom, the center for religious training in Iran, when a prostitution ring was broken up, some of the people arrested were from government agencies, including the Department of Justice.

The ruling fundamentalists have differing opinions on their official position on the sex trade: deny and hide it or recognize and accommodate it. In 2002, a BBC journalist was deported for taking photographs of prostitutes. Officials told her: "We are deporting you ... because you have taken pictures of prostitutes. This is not a true reflection of life in our Islamic Republic. We don't have prostitutes." Yet, earlier the same year, officials of the Social Department of the Interior Ministry suggested legalizing prostitution as a way to manage it and control the spread of HIV. They proposed setting up brothels, called "morality houses," and using the traditional religious custom of temporary marriage, in which a couple can marry for a short period of time, even an hour, to facilitate prostitution. Islamic fundamentalists' ideology and practices are adaptable when it comes to controlling and using women.

Some may think a thriving sex trade in a theocracy with clerics acting as pimps is a contradiction in a country founded and ruled by Islamic fundamentalists. In fact, this is not a contradiction. First, exploitation and repression of women are closely associated. Both exist where women, individually or collectively, are denied freedom and rights. Second, the Islamic fundamentalists in Iran are not simply conservative Muslims. Islamic fundamentalism is a political movement with a political ideology that considers women inherently inferior in intellectual and moral capacity. Fundamentalists hate women's minds and bodies. Selling women and girls for prostitution is just the dehumanizing complement to forcing women and girls to cover their bodies and hair with the veil.

In a religious dictatorship like Iran, one cannot appeal to the rule of law for justice for women and girls. Women and girls have no guarantees of freedom and rights, and no expectation of respect or dignity from the Islamic fundamentalists. Only the end of the Iranian regime will free women and girls from all the forms of slavery they suffer.
Dr. Donna M. Hughes is a professor and holds the Carlson Endowed Chair in Women's Studies at the University of Rhode Island. She wishes to acknowledge the Iranian human-rights and pro-democracy activists who contributed information for this article. If readers have information on prostitution and the sex-slave trade in Iran, contact Hughes at dhughes@uri.edu. Read more at: www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/.